


Mirrored Eyes

by Hornetfreak



Category: RWBY
Genre: Civilian Ruby AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:00:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22529737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hornetfreak/pseuds/Hornetfreak
Summary: Ruby didn't want to live the life of a huntress. To risk her life for the sake of the world? Sure, it was a nice idea, but when faced with the reality of it, the danger, she ran. However, after a near-death encounter with a psychotic assassin, Ruby is dragged into a world and a war that aren't her own. Is her destiny to be the hero Remnant needs? Or will she become another martyr?
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

Summer Rose was many things to many people. First and foremost, she was a devoted mother and loving wife to her family. She loved her daughters and husband more than anything in the world and would do anything for them.

To the rest of Remnant, she was a huntress; and an accomplished one at that. Leader of the "coolest team at Beacon," if her partner was to be believed. She'd led them on countless missions to slay monsters, stop bandits from attacking villagers, rescue kittens from trees, and everything in between.

However, her most defining trait, to those who could recognize it anyway, was her eyes. Her silver eyes. A feature that few could call their own. One that struck fear into the hearts of monsters, and gave lesser men hope. Though, to those who possessed the silver eyes, they were a curse. A sign that they were to be hunted for the entirety of their lives.

Summer was no different. Ever since the day it was revealed to her how set apart she was from others, she knew she was destined to look over her shoulder at all times. For years, she lived in fear of the threat that hunted her, never trusting shadows, keeping her weapon handy always.

Eventually, she came to accept her lot in life; and her paranoia finally subsided when she fell in love. Taiyang helped her find peace, and she was genuinely grateful for that. Summer lived without fear with her husband and stepdaughter. She forgot all about her eyes and the danger they posed to her and her loved ones. And her happiness only flourished ever more when she was blessed with a child of her own.

How quickly her smile fell when the baby girl opened her eyes. The beautiful infant was the spitting image of her mother; pale skin, cute little nose, dark hair with crimson ends. And her eyes, oh gods, her e... they were enchanting. Like deep pools of mercury that captivated and pulled you in, little Ruby's mirrored orbs were no different from Summer's.

The tears she shed that day were ones of joy, mingling, and merging with sorrow. A deep-seated fury and sadness that her little angel was doomed to suffer the same fate as her own.

As Ruby grew older, Summer saw the blatant similarities between the two of them. The young girl always went on about how she was going to become a huntress 'just like mommy.' Every day, she and Yang would run and play in the woods around the family home, pretending to be heroes of Remnant. They would stay out late, coming in at the last minutes before sundown, tracking in mud and twigs and fireflies with them. Summer and Taiyang ran themselves ragged trying to control the girls.

And yet, no matter how hard she wished it weren't so, she found herself grinning from ear to ear whenever she pictured Ruby growing up to follow in her footsteps.

A protector of the innocent.

A beacon of light and hope fighting the dark hordes of the Grimm.

A huntress.

* * *

_Beeeeeepppp… Beeeeeepppp!_

Ruby groaned into her pillow as her scroll screamed for her to wake up. She had been having the most fantastic dream, too. She was the queen of Remnant, and her first decree was that all cookies in the world belonged to her. What a beautiful fantasy it had been, swimming through a sea of chocolate chip goodies and milk… she sighed with delight, even thinking about it.

_Beeeeeepppp… Beeeeeepppp!_

And then the retched alarm had to go a rip her back into reality. Cold, uncaring, _adult_ reality.

"Ugh… Shut up!" Ruby growled as she reached out from under the covers to silence the device. "I get it, you've been sent to make me miserable. Mission accomplished. Now, shut the heck up!"

_Beeeeeepppp… Beeeeeepppp!_

Ruby hated mornings, especially Monday mornings. No matter how much fun she'd had over the weekend, the responsibilities of the real world were always there to ruin her good mood into the dirt with a steel-toed stomp. Even when Ruby was little, dad would have to drag her out of bed. When she'd hit her teens, even Uncle Qrow woke up before her - which was saying something, considering he was hungover more often than not. Nowadays, the young woman realized it probably had something to do with her keeping vampire hours, staying up way late into the night playing video games or reading comics. Did she regret it, however? Nope, not in the slightest, but now she was an adult, and such behavior had consequences.

Like being forced to wake up a 4 a.m. every freaking day.

_Beeeeeepppp… Beeeeeepppp!_ The scroll screeched again, just before her finger found the snooze button. Of course, Ruby never waited for the snooze to run its course. If she did, she would just keep pushing the button and never get up. That was an unfortunate lesson she'd learned the hard way. She'd almost missed Yang's sendoff to Beacon because of that little mistake.

With all the vigor of a freshly reanimated corpse, the short woman rolled out the warm, enticing expanse of covers that was her bed, and shambled across her little apartment to the bathroom. Taking a look into the mirror, she was treated to an exclusive sneak-peek at a pair of stunning designer bags hanging under her lidded silver eyes. "Hey there, sexy," she yawned. "Ready to kick some butt?"

The shoulders of the zombie in the reflection sagged.

"Yeah… me too."

The very moment she stepped into the shower, Ruby felt all of the early-morning drag from waking up drain from her body. She also screamed as she suddenly found herself on her rear, eyes wide, breath rapid, limbs splayed out like a soaking wet ragdoll, water pouring down over her.

Water that just so happened to be _freezing cold_!

Needless to say, she finished her shower quite promptly, teeth chattering all the way.

When she emerged from the bathroom, still wrapped in a towel, Ruby started up the coffee maker and then tiptoed over to her dresser. Her typical casual attire didn't really vary too vastly from her work outfit. Slipping on a short black skirt with stockings and a graphic tee depicting some video game or another form of nerdy media. Her short, dark hair was easily brushed into her preferred style with the aid of a mirror.

When she finished grooming herself, she set about her signature pep-talk that no one else got to see. "Alright," she said. "You are Ruby Rose, slayer of cookies, the hero of little kids' birthday parties, bearer of Yang's stupid jokes." She clenched her fist as her voice took on a more inspirational tone. "Are you gonna let something as puny and inconsequential as _Monday_ beat you?"

"NO!" she yelled back at… herself.

"No, you're not. You're gonna get out there and show the world what you're made of. And look damn good, doing it, too."

"Yeah!" Ruby fist-pumped the air.

"Yeah!"

_Beeee-_

"SHUT UP!" both she and herself shouted at the poor, innocent coffee-maker.

Now fully awake and with a mug of abominably sweet "coffee" in hand, the day of Ruby Rose, baker extraordinaire, could begin in earnest. Descending the stairs from her apartment, she entered her office. Which was to say it was a kitchen that she spent most of her working hours in. Albeit small, her business really was an incredible sight in her eyes. Along the back wall, a long counter was home to a stove and large griddle. Sat beside that were two huge ovens sat, ready and waiting to prepare the day's products. Both a walk-in fridge and freezer for all her raw ingredients adorned the next wall. A couple of baking sheet racks stood in the corner beside them. On the opposite side of the room, a tall pantry housed the dry goods. In the center of the room, a large table represented Ruby's main workstation, where she would make her magic.

Out front, there was a counter where the register sat, a glass display case ran along its length. A rotating tower of plates stood on top, next to the cash register. Arranged around the room were a few tables and chairs for customers to sit and enjoy their treats.

All in all, it wasn't much, but it was hers. With a little financial help from Taiyang, a stupid name from Yang, and a dream, Ruby was now supporting herself. Admittedly, she could have probably made a lot more lien if she'd set up in Vale, but Patch was home. The people there were friendly and liked her, for the most part. She wouldn't have just left such a sweet little community. Not without a good reason, at least.

Nope, Bread Like Roses was on Patch to stay.

Tying a red apron around her torso, Ruby went about her daily routine for opening the bakery. There were ovens to preheat, ingredients to assemble, and confectionaries to concoct and line the displays out front with. As she strode over to the freezer, she synced up her scroll with the sound system she'd recently had installed. Within a second, rock and roll began blasting out through the speakers, vibrating the kitchen with wild bass tones.

Would she wake up her neighbors? Probably. But it was Monday, and Ruby felt she was owed the chance to make the rest of the world as crabby as herself. Besides, if Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had any issues with Sweet Boulder, they would have come and to fight her for the right to party.

Thankfully, no one came knocking at her door, and she was able to rock out in peace. Soon enough, there was all manner of little cakes and cookies, decorated and arranged in glass cases like relics from a bygone age. If Ruby were honest, her creations _should_ have been classified as holy artifacts, but, sadly, they merely passed as delicious and incredibly fattening. Not entirely worth a fortune, but enough to make a living.

Placing her hands on her hips, Ruby looked over the bakery. "Not too shabby," she said, nodding. "Okay, let's get this party started, shall we?" With a little flourish, she then flipped on the old, neon "Open" sign she'd bought at a nearby flea market. Sadly, the music wasn't considered appropriate for business hours, so she had to switch to more contemporary tunes. Coral Taylor's gruff vocals were all too suddenly replaced by, slow, soft, jazz. The kind of thing you'd hear in a hipster coffee shop.

"Bring it on, Remnant," Ruby said. "What'cha got in store for me today?"

* * *

The older woman offered a tired smile as Ruby handed her a paper bag, filled to the brim with peanut butter cookies. "Thank you so much, dear," she said. "I'm not sure what I'd do if you hadn't been here."

"My guess is you'd have to turn to supermarket off-brand cookies for little Ashley's party," Ruby supposed with a glance at the small girl hanging off her mother's hip. "Speaking of which…" she rounded the counter and knelt down to meet the girl's eye level. Dramatically feigning sneaking an extra cookie to her, Ruby stage whispered, "Keep this between us, okay?"

When Ashley snatched up the treat and nodded, Ruby gave a smirk and a wink to her mother.

Ruby waved and let out a sigh as the pair walked out the door, welcome bell ringing over their heads. It hadn't been the busiest of days, but she'd had decent through-traffic so far. It was getting nigh on five in the evening, closing time was coming up fast.

She looked around at her domain, the bakery that she'd poured six months of her life into. It hadn't been easy, not by a long shot, but whenever she saw someone walk out that door with a smile on their face and a bag in their hands, all the effort was made worth it. That was why she did it, she realized. At first, she opened Bread Like Roses as a way to make some money off one of her hobbies. Now it was clear that the reason she got up at such ungodly hours, worked her butt off all day, only to collapse into bed and do it all again, it was to make people happy.

Smiling and nodding to herself, Ruby went to work, sweeping up the dirt that had accumulated on the floor over the day. Without even looking, she thumbed a few keys on her scroll, and the bakery was filled once more with the heavy tones of rock music.

It took her a little over fifteen minutes to get the floor swept so clean, you could eat off it. Next, she moved on to wiping down the few tables she had and the counter. This was her least favorite part of the job; if she could afford it, she would have hired somebody to do all the cleaning up for her. But, such was not to be, and she had enough bills to pay herself with adding someone else's paycheck onto them. So, with a determined expression, Ruby worked on. The faster she wiped, the sooner she could clock out.

She was so engrossed in her task, in fact, that when she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder, Ruby screamed like a schoolgirl and swung a washrag-clad fist around. Eyes fused shut, she felt her hand impact with her assailant's face, punctuated by a muffled and slightly squishy _thud_.

"AH!" a feminine voice cried. "Oh, gross! Seriously, Ruby?"

Ruby's heart pounded like a drum in her chest as she slowly peeked one eye open. When she saw who her mystery caller was, a feeling of pure relief washed over her, swiftly followed by a sense of guilty amusement.

"Yang?" she horror-laughed.

Yang bore a face of straight annoyance, her lilac eyes lidded at half-mast, and her lips drawn into a thin line. She let out a groan as she peeled the dirty and slightly damp cloth from her face.

"No. The tooth-fairy," Yang said. "Geez, if I had known I'd get _that_ kind of welcome, I would've worn a ski-mask."

Ruby chuckled nervously. "S-sorry about that. I guess I was a little distracted, and you kinda snuck up on me."

Her sister's look gradually morphed from irritation to a kind of acceptant smirk. "Oh, I'm absolutely beside myself with fury. How dare you attack me with such a deadly weapon as the simple washcloth?" The two of them quickly devolved into a fit of giggles as Yang pulled her into a warm embrace. "It's good to see you, sis," she said softly.

A sentiment Ruby could commiserate with. It had been a long few months since she or dad had spoken with Yang in person. She and her team had been on some huntress business out in the countryside of Vale. They'd kept in contact, of course, but scroll calls were so... impersonal compared to face-to-face conversation.

The two of them eventually headed up the stairs, into Ruby's tiny apartment, and settled at the kitchen table. "So, what's up?" Ruby asked as she placed two cups of "coffee" down in front of herself and Yang. "What's been happening in the wide, wide world of huntressing?"

The blonde shrugged. "Nothing much, honestly. Just a few missions here and there. The team decided it was time for a break, so I figured I'd come home for a while."

"What do you mean, _nothing much_?" Ruby squawked. "You're gone off doing gods know what for two months, and now you shrug and say it was nothing?" She knew that now she was a fully licensed huntress, Yang would be around less. _But two months?_ That wasn't normal. Even uncle Qrow was able to come and visit every couple of weeks when they were kids. Now, it seemed as though he and Yang both were spending more time in the field, with little to no explanation as to why. Ruby my not have cared for being a huntress herself, but she still liked to be informed on when and how her big sister was risking her life. "What's happening out there that's keeping you away for so long?"

Again, Yang's shoulders raised, and she held up her hands in a manner that said, 'I don't know what to tell you.' "There's just been a few more Grimm sightings than usual out on the frontier, alright? Not anything to worry your pretty little head over, but enough to keep us busy." She smiled and leaned back in her chair, kicking her feet up and crossing them on the table. "In fact, the girls and I have been making a killing - literally and metaphorically."

There was something about how matter-of-factly she answered that left Ruby unsure. But Yang was home, and really that was all that mattered to her. "Okay then, I guess that makes sense."

"Enough about boring stuff like that, though," Yang dismissively waved a hand. "What's been going on with you? Has my baby sister found herself a dashing rogue for me to threaten?"

Ruby groaned. "Ugh, Yang, you're terrible."

"You know you love me."

/-/

The sun was just beginning to set on the isle of Patch when the golden-haired woman departed from the bakery. Her younger sister leaned out the door, waving a hand and calling out final goodbyes as she walked down the street. The girl then closed the glass door and locked it from the inside. Soon after, all lights on the first floor of the building were out, and the curtains drawn on the second.

In an alley across the street, a figure leaned against a brick wall. He donned a leather cloak with the hood pulled up the shroud his face. If anyone on the street saw him, they didn't comment on him. Most likely, he was a sojourner, taking a brief respite.

Glancing to his left and right, he made sure none were around to spy on him. He then retrieved his scroll and opened it. Pulling up all the images he'd taken over the past few hours, he stopped on one and zoomed in. The screen displayed the young woman from the bakery. Black hair tipped with red, pale complexion, thin frame. But what truly interested him were her eyes.

Those big, beautiful, _silver_ orbs that rested in her skull. They identified her as the one he'd been seeking.

"My, my," he whispered to himself, "so it's true? She really is the child of Summer Rose." His golden eyes widened, and his mouth split into a wicked grin. "Truly a stunning likeness."

Tyrian Callows slowly looked up to the second-floor window, where the girl's apartment was located. "Well, my dear Ruby Rose," he chuckled. "I simply cannot wait to make your acquaintance."


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby's fingers drummed on the counter, her chin rested in her other palm. Releasing an exasperated puff of air, she glanced at the clock.

Barely ten past eleven.

"UGH!" she let her head fall and impact with the bar. It had been an agonizingly slow day, with only a few customers to speak of early on. After Yang's surprise appearance the night before, she'd gone to bed hopeful for a fantastic day.

"Nope," she said to herself, popping the 'p,' to place emphasis on the word. "Cuz, why would that be the case, huh?" Could she have been more naïve? And it was only Tuesday! She still had three more days before the weekend. Although, at least now, she had something to look forward to in the form of hanging out with Yang.

She and her big sis had stayed up far into the night, talking and exchanging stories. Of course, Yang, having a more exciting life by leagues, beat her out in that department. The most intriguing tale Ruby had was of the kid who had thrown up all over her floor. The one whose mother had demanded free pastries for life as compensation for "poisoning her baby." Thankfully _that_ had ended peaceably - for the most part, anyway - with Ruby giving the woman her money back.

But even that whole debacle paled in comparison to the fantastic adventures of team Yewberry. Despite having lost a member of her team in the White Fang attack on Vale four years ago, Yang, Weiss, and Blake still managed to keep at their dreams. Ruby respected that about them. In the face of adversity, they pressed on.

She wondered if she would be like that, was she in their shoes. Probably not; Ruby wasn't nearly brave enough to live a life like that. She was proud of her sister, no doubt about that, but she didn't desire that sort of action in her own admittedly dull existence.

Her own boringness aside, Yang's stories of her and the others' exploits out on the job were nothing short of astounding. Ruby knew for a fact that her sister was exaggerating for dramatic effect. Despite that, she hung off every word like they were one-liners in a Spruce Willis movie. Which, to be fair, a lot of them were. One thing Yang could be if her career ever failed was an action hero. She certainly had the corny jokes and borderline suicidal adrenaline addiction down pat.

Ruby was then ripped out from the comfortable confines of her own mind, back to reality, when the bell above the bakery's door chimed out.

_Yay! A customer!_ "Hi, welcome to Bread Like Roses! How can I help you?" she asked, cheerily bouncing on her heels. The first thing she'd learned when it came to service, was that if you were happy, the patron was more likely to be the same. Which was why she belted out the high-pitched greeting every damn time she heard that bell.

However, it didn't always work. Case in point, the man who had walked through the door. Stood at least eight feet tall, if he hadn't made a concerted effort to step out of the way, he would have been smacked in the face by the fan on the ceiling. His dark eyes scanned the room as if looking for some unknown threat, before eventually focusing on her in a slightly unsettling manner.

If she thought Yang, uncle Qrow, or any other hunter she knew were intimidating, this guy blew them all away.

Much as she wanted to, Ruby couldn't throw her hands up and "nope" her way out of the room. Even as the man stomped up - for it seemed all he was able to do was stomp - to the counter, maintaining eye contact the whole way. It was more than enough to fill her weird meter to maximum capacity.

"Can I help you, sir?" she repeated, trying desperately to uphold her welcoming visage.

"Ruby Rose?" the stranger asked, his tanned face giving off no emotion whatsoever.

Ruby gulped, and then immediately cursed the fact that it was audible. "Y-yes? Are you here to pick up an order or-?"

The door slammed open yet again, distracting her and the man. Boisterous as ever, in strolled Yang with a familiar figure in tow. She and Weiss were honestly the most welcome thing she'd seen all day. With a broad smile and broader gait, the blonde stepped up to the glass bar, leaning up beside the scary man.

"Hey, 'sup, baby sis? Look who I've got." Yang said, gesturing toward her teammate.

Weiss crossed her arms. "Yang, Ruby is dealing with a customer. Wait your turn."

_Not so much dealing,_ Ruby thought, glancing up at his face, _more trying not to bust out into a nervous sweat._ Which was getting harder and harder to do by the second.

His attention was no longer solely on her; instead, his eyes were flicking between the three of them. With a nod and a deep sigh, he reached into his long jacket. She couldn't help the way she quite noticeably flinched. Then winced when she saw the humor drain from her sister's face, and Weiss's eyes get even icier. The man caught it too, muscles tensing even as the two huntresses' hands fell to their weapons.

Although, that was where the mood stopped dropping. As the customer's hand came out of his coat, Ruby breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw the lien it held.

"Two loaves," he muttered, sliding the money across the counter.

Heart pounding like a marching band drum section, she nodded and rang up the man's order. Her hands were shaking slightly as she placed two freshly baked loaves of bread in a brown paper bag and handed them over.

"Your total is twelve lien..." she trailed off when he suddenly turned and walked out the door without another word, leaving her holding his change, a stunned expression decorating her face. "Um... sir? You forgot your change!"

"Keep it," was the last thing she heard as the door closed, and he disappeared down the street.

The three women watched the outside world for a minute or two, just waiting for the storefront windows to explode in on them and all hell to break loose. When nothing happened, Ruby let out a breath, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest. Maybe she would close down early today? Take a personal holiday.

"So…" Yang broke the hush that had befallen them. "You wanna tell me the story there before I go and break someone's kneecaps?"

/-/

Hazel walked down the sidewalk in silence. That had not gone according to plan, not at all. In fact, the sudden interruption, courtesy of Ruby Rose's sister and the Schnee, both of which were almost definitely on Ozpin's payroll, had derailed the plan entirely. He groaned with annoyance. Tyrian had mention Xiao Long had visited the girl the previous night. Still, he'd been hoping that it was just a social call. If she was still in town, despite being a professional huntress, and with her team no less, then there was no guarantee they would be leaving any time soon.

Unfortunate, but not a complete disaster. This was always going to be a troublesome task, what with Rose's close proximity to her father, and Qrow Branwen at times. This new development was merely another obstacle to be overcome; nothing he and Tyrian together could not deal with.

With a sigh, he tossed the sack of bread he'd purchased to a homeless man sat against a brick wall. Buying it had been a split-second decision that likely saved him from having to engage the two huntresses. It was apparent that it was where the situation had been headed. The girl was looking frightened out of her wits and twitching at his every move. She may not have guessed his true intentions, but she was quite obviously uncomfortable with his presence. Although, Hazel supposed that would have been the case whether it had been he or his partner who had carried out the deed - more so in Tyrian's case. At least, he would be the less recognizable of the two to any who witnessed him enter the bakery.

Despite his considerable size and gruff demeanor, Hazel was reasonably benign compared to the killer faunus's clear as day mania and bloodlust. People tended to remember that more than a rather large man buying bread.

"So?" the deranged assassin purred as Hazel entered the dingy apartment they were using as a safe house. "How was it? Did she put up much of a fight? Oooh, I hope so. It's always more fun when they struggle."

Without even looking at Tyrian, he sat down on the moldy couch, folded his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. "Ruby Rose still lives." He grunted.

"What?! How? Did she escape you? She hasn't got any huntress training; how could she hope to stand against _you_?" The serial killer leaped onto the cushion beside him, bringing his bony face inches from Hazel's own.

"No, she was scared beyond reason," he said. "I doubt she could even think to call for help."

Tyrian snarled, just as he always did on the rare occasions his quarry evaded him. "Then why, my friend," he hissed, "is the little bitch still breathing? Was it just that difficult for you; did that blasted _conscience_ of yours get the better of you?"

Hazel sighed. He wasn't wholly wrong in his assumption. As much as he disagreed - no, _hated_ \- killing the girl, it had to be done. _She_ had ordered it, and he was her servant. As was the faunus that was interrogating him at that moment, and he would have had no qualms cutting Rose down in cold blood. He would have found it enjoyable.

But Hazel did still possess a modicum of empathy, and he wouldn't doom an innocent to suffer for Tyrian's amusement. At least, if he was doing the deed himself, it would be as quick and painless as possible. He could only offer her that much mercy.

As for why he hadn't taken the chance to complete his mission when he'd had it…

"I was interrupted," Hazel said plainly. "Her sister and another huntress entered the building before I had a chance to act."

Tyrian's brows furrowed, and he fell back into the couch. "And this stopped you, why? Last I checked, you were more than capable of killing hunters with ease. You're telling me that you were frightened away by a pair of fresh-faced girls?"

It was just like him to not see the problem with engaging in open combat - in broad daylight, no less. Honestly, if he weren't there to keep him in check, Hazel feared Tyrian might have gone on a killing spree, roaming from building to building until he caught their target.

"Killing Ruby Rose is already going to cause a stir. Most, if not all of her family works directly for Ozpin in some capacity," he explained. "There's no need to evoke their wrath further by causing a scene in the middle of the day."

Much as he despised the old man, Hazel was no fool. Getting caught up in a fight with his pawns was like inviting a Deathstalker to dinner - there were no favorable outcomes in that scenario.

"It doesn't matter all that much," he stated, looking at his scowling partner. "We aren't on a time schedule. There will likely be plenty of times to strike. Preferably when she is less guarded, even if we need to wait a few days."

Tyrian fumed, crossing his arms like a child deprived of a toy. "Fine," he spat. "But, when the time comes, _I'll_ be the one to snuff her out. You've clearly gone soft; I don't want you messing up and finding some other reason not to kill Rose."

Hazel could only sigh again. He didn't like the idea, but there was no arguing with him. The faunus answered to no one but _her._

One way or another, Ruby Rose would meet her end.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby placed three plates down on her kitchen table as she joined Yang and Weiss. Having closed down the bakery for the day, she had invited the two of them up to her apartment to talk. The weird guy from earlier was probably nothing. Maybe he was having an off day and was a little awkward as a result. Or he could have just been a quiet person. Whatever the case, there was no reason to suspect him of any of the million different things that were racing through her mind.

Cracking open her can of soda, Yang kicked off the conversation. "So, you wanna tell us what that was downstairs? You looked pretty spooked by that dude."

"I agree," Weiss nodded along, "Did he do something to make you feel threatened?"

Ruby shook her head as she bit into a cookie from her own personal stash. "Mmph… No, not really," she said. "He just came in and walked up to the counter. He asked if I owned the place, I said, 'yeah.' Then you guys got here."

"What had you so freaked out, then?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"It was just a feeling I got. You know?" The moment he had walked in, Ruby recalled a chill running up her spine. And when he'd locked eyes with her and asked her name… something about it just didn't sit right with her. "I mean, you saw how big the guy was, right? And the way he didn't really say anything, it was odd, I guess."

"Huntsmen often seem that way to civilians," Weiss agreed.

"He was a huntsman? How could you tell?"

With a sigh, the white-haired woman leaned back in her chair. "I forget it's not so easy to tell for no-hunters." She glanced between Ruby and Yang. "It's in the way he carried himself. How he kept shooting subtle glances to Yang and me, and how he tensed when we did."

"Even between you two," she continued, gesturing to the sisters, "I can see that Yang is prepared to jump up and fight at a moment's notice. You, on the other hand, are relaxed. You don't anticipate any sort of danger."

Yang placed a hand on hers and smirked. "It's nothing against you, Rubes. We've just been trained to expect a fight to come from anywhere. Same could probably be said about tall, dark, and muscly earlier."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief after a moment of pondering. What they were saying made sense. So, there most likely wasn't anything to worry about. He was just a huntsman and was just weird because of that. She nodded. "Yeah, I get it. So, he was like you guys."

"He probably had a few years on us, but sure, let's go with that."

Now that whole thing had been dealt with, and Ruby's mind was put at ease, for the most part, she was able to focus on what really mattered. "Okay, so Weiss," she said, lifting a glass of milk to her lips. "I didn't know you were in town too. I guess that means Blake's here as well?"

The Schnee shook her head. "No, not yet. She's on her way, though. Blake's actually been in Menagerie for a while now, visiting her parents. When we decided to take a break, she was on a flight there faster than you could say 'tuna.'"

"When she gets back, we're gonna spend some time here and in Vale before we head back into the field. Kitty-kat's just draggin' her feet." Yang kicked her feet up onto the table, something Ruby personally didn't mind, as she was guilty of it herself.

Weiss, however, seemed less than impressed by the act. Raising her brow, she said, "To be fair, she hasn't seen them in a year. Not since that job we did in Kuo Kuana with your uncle." She then lightly shoved the woman's legs off the surface.

The brawler laughed and held her hands up. "I'm kidding. You know I'm kidding." She looked at Ruby, jerking her thumb in Weiss's direction. "She knows I'm kidding."

Ruby looked at her sister with a mix of concern and confusion. "Oookay?"

"Speakin' of the frisky feline," the possibly-insane-huntress went on like nothing. "That's actually part of why we came down here."

She fished around in her jacket pocket for a few seconds, eventually retrieving a small, hastily scribbled list on a notecard. It listed several different pastries and sweets, as well as one main cake. "An order?" Ruby asked.

"Yup," Yang smiled, popping the 'p.' "Blake's B-Day is tomorrow, and we were wondering if you'd be interested in baking a couple things for the party."

"You would be compensated for your work, of course," Weiss added quickly. "We don't expect something for nothing."

That was… Ruby honestly wasn't expecting that. Yang often had the pick of her creations if she wanted it. Whenever she came by, Ruby would send her away with a bag or box of her little treasures. It was just what she did for family and close friends. Dad got fresh bread once or twice a week. Even uncle Qrow - who notoriously hated sweet things - commonly wound up in possession of a baker's dozen of something.

But Ruby had never once expected that family paid her for her craft. It just wasn't anything she'd even considered. She didn't pay them for protecting her from Grimm as hunters. So why shouldn't she let a few things go for free? Then again, they'd never offered before either. Which made her family sound like a bunch of selfish jerks in retrospect, but she didn't see it that way. The things she gave them were gifts. Nothing more, nothing less.

"So… you want me to bake a cake for Blake's birthday?" she said.

"And cookies," Yang nodded. "Oh! And some of those double chocolate brownies! Those are for me, though." Yeah, those were awesome, Ruby recalled the first time she made them. She and Yang had eaten the whole batch in about ten minutes. Then promptly gotten tangled up in a race to the toilet and ending up vomiting all over each other. It was so worth it, though.

"Alright," Ruby nodded, "I can do that. Do you two have any idea what kind of cake Blake wants?"

Weiss and Yang looked at each other, then back to her. "Eh, not really," Yang admitted, her face scrunching up. "See, she… kinda doesn't know the party's happening at all."

Ruby blinked. Then a hand came up to rub her face. "Okay then," she groaned. "Do you know what she likes?"

"Fish."

"Fish?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. Blake likes fish. As for a cake, well…" she paused, seemingly in deep thought. Seriously?! How could you want to commission a cake, but not know what that cake was? "She's not real big into sweets. So maybe something dark chocolate without a whole lot of sugar?"

_Okay_ , Ruby thought. _I can do that._ Then again, she said Blake didn't eat sweet stuff. So, she might not even care about the cake at all. "Anything else? Anything you want the cake to say?"

It was Weiss who spoke up this time, quickly cutting Yang off for some reason. "No, no text, but if you could, decorate it to bear her emblem in frosting, I think she'd enjoy that." For reference, she held up her scroll, showing Ruby an image of Blake's black flame symbol.

Over the next few minutes, Ruby grilled them for notes on what else she needed to do. There wasn't much, other than the two-dozen cat-eared sugar cookies and Yang's request - no, _demand_ \- for brownies.

As she was busy jotting down notes into her scroll, she didn't notice the silent argument that the other two women were having. Which consisted of Yang furiously nodding and smiling devilishly, and Weiss shaking her head with just as much intensity.

"Actually, Rubes, there _is_ one more thing you could do to the cake…"

Ruby looked up to see Weiss scowling. "Yang, no," the white-haired huntress said.

"C'mon, Weiss-cream, it'll be funny as hell!" she begged.

"We are _not_ giving Blake a cake in the shape of a penis!"

* * *

A bead of sweat dripped from Ruby's forehead and ran down her nose. The ovens she used, while undoubtedly useful, had a tendency to heat the kitchen up to hellish temperatures. It didn't help that her air conditioner had chosen _today_ to puke out and die. Things could have been going better.

After Weiss and Yang had left, Ruby had started work on their order almost immediately. She was kinda miffed by the fact that Blake's party was in _a day_ , and they had waited until the last possible moment to contact her. As such, she was feverishly working away in her kitchen. What had always been a labor of love was now a frustrating slog through flour, sugar, and eggs.

Plus, everything else she had strewn out over her workstation.

It was as she vigorously whisked at a bowl of batter, that Ruby heard a loud crash outside. With a jump and a somewhat girly yelp, she practically flung the dish, its gooey contents, and then the whisk off the counter.

She cursed. "Argh! What now?"

The noise came once again. This time, louder and closer. Coming from the back alley of her building, it sounded like some big animal or person shoving trashcans around. With a groan, Ruby stomped to the exit, prepared to scream at some wily raccoons or something. It would do her some good. She needed to let off some steam. Despite Yang and Weiss's suspicions that the weird dude from earlier was just a socially awkward huntsman, Ruby was still a little on edge. It showed as she kept jumping at every single noise and shadow.

The door creaked open, giving way to a darkened alley. Brick walls towered up on both sides, the bases of which were lined with several garbage bins and a dumpster. Sure enough, true to the noises she'd heard, two of them were overturned next to her door. The sun was just beginning to set, however, with the structures in the way, the passageway was already very dim. On the plus side, it was way cooler out here than inside, with the ovens and stove running.

"Hello?" she called, stepping out into the shadows.

Near the end of the alley, a stray cat hissed and darted out from under some boxes, having been spooked by something. Every fiber of Ruby's being was screaming at her to take her own advice, now that she clearly was in a horror movie. It was common sense not to go investigate the strange noises coming from outside your door at night. Nine times out of ten, there was a silent killer in a mask waiting to pin you to a wall with a butcher's knife through the chest. That, or it was your doofy boyfriend, who would eventually reveal himself to be said psycho. However, since she currently lacked in the significant other department, it was most likely the former.

And yet, here she was anyway, stood like an idiot in the middle of her back alley. All doe-eyed and adorable, just begging for a machete to the forehead.

"You know, pipsqueak, for such a small thing, you sure go through a shit-ton of trash."

The scream that tore from Ruby's lips was so loud, the cat from a second ago made another mad dash out the alley. Self-preservation kicked into overdrive, and she made to run. "Whoa, where d'you think you're off to?" the monster taunted as he grabbed her by the shoulder, and he was strong. So much she stayed rooted in his grip, while her legs flew in the opposite direction. Which, in turn, caused her to lose all control of her body and fall backward.

Her eyes fused shut. If she was going to be murdered, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear in her face.

Only death didn't come.

She waited a moment… Nope, nothing.

Ruby dared to crack one eye open ever so slightly, fully expecting to see the glowing red eyes of a demon or something.

What she saw instead… Well, she was right on one thing - the orbs in her killer's face _were_ indeed red, but they weren't glowing with ethereal hatred. Nor was it the mask of a slasher looking back at her with an amused yet concerned expression.

"You doin' okay there, kiddo?" her sarcastic, irresponsible, perverted, alcoholic, huntsman of an uncle rasped.

"Uncle Qrow?! Ugh, don't sneak up on me like that!" she shouted from the ground.

He raised his hands defensively. "Hey, all I did was make a comment on my niece producing a lot of garbage for living alone. You're the one who started screaming bloody murder and tried to run away like a nutcase."

Ruby groaned as she dragged herself up and dusted off her clothes. She didn't fail to note how he hadn't even lifted a finger to help her. "Well, I wouldn't have if some creep hadn't jumped out at me in a dark alley." Her eyes rolled at his blatantly unapologetic shrug. "What're you even doing back here?"

The two of them made their way back inside. Instantly, the heat of the room hit her, Qrow didn't seem too affected by it, though. Maybe the excessive consumption of booze had damaged some of his nerve-ending over the years.

"I knocked out front, but I didn't think you heard, so I decided to try the back," he explained quickly. "Guess my eyesight's not what it used to be; tripped over your trashcans in the dark."

Ruby might have actually believed him, were it not for that last comment. Qrow hated bringing up his advancing age. He frequently went out of his way to prove he wasn't getting old. He played video games with her, sparred against Yang, and was still a very active hunter.

No…, his eyes were just fine. Chances were, he intentionally knocked over her garbage bins to get her outside so he could scare her. Leave it to uncle Qrow to do something like that.

Ruby raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to fire off her theory but was cut off when the grizzled man started sniffing the air. "Is something burning?" he asked.

At that moment, she recalled that she had left the stove and ovens running when she went out. She gasped, "My mousse! Crap!" With the speed and franticness of a mother whose child was choking on a grape, she sprinted to the stove. She arrived just in time to witness perfectly good - and expensive - Atlesian dark chocolate scorch in her saucepan. It was meant to be the base for the topping on Blake's not-penis cake.

It was all she could do to not tear up as filthy black smoke rose from the innocent confection. It never had a chance. Now, whatever phenomenal treat it would have made mattered not, for it would never fulfill its destiny. In a moment of silence, of reverence for the fallen chocolate, Ruby bowed her head and turned off the burner. "Rest easy, my sweet," she whispered. "You shall be avenged."

"Ya know, I was about to say something about you caring a little too much about your cakes," Qrow said from behind her. "But I dropped a bottle of twenty-year-old bourbon last week. I haven't cried like that in years."

Her shoulders sagged, and she let out a sigh as she turned to face him. Leaning against the wall, he bore a look of concern for his niece. His face was never hard to read, at least, not for her. Ruby knew from times she been out with him that Qrow could put on a mask and fake it with the best of them. But he never was like that with her. It was part of the reason she loved him so much. That, and he'd let her stay up past bedtime as a kid.

"That face says you've got more than some burnt chocolate draggin' you down," he said. "Something the matter, kiddo?"

She let loose a long and dramatic puff of air. "I may be under a teeny, tiny, bit of stress. I've only got to have two dozen cookies, a baker's dozen of brownies, _and_ a special pen- _cake_ done by tomorrow night."

It wasn't really a whole lot. Especially not when compared to her everyday workload. But the swift deadline, combined with the desire to make everything perfect for Yang's partner, had her scrambling. Along with her jumpiness and sudden onset of paranoia, Ruby was a nervous wreck at the moment.

If she'd had a mirror, she would have seen it show in the way her eyes were deliberately widened, as if she was trying to stay awake.

"That's quite the list," Qrow nodded as she jumped up and sat on the batter-covered counter. "Can you handle all that? It's a lot for just one person."

Ruby shook her head. "Not really, I'm just kinda… I don't know, freaked out right now."

"I got an idea," he stated. Ignoring her raised brow, he continued, "What say you and me go grab a bite, you can vent about whatever's eating you, and you get to all this in the morning." He gestured to the kitchen in emphasis.

"I don't know," Ruby sighed. She looked around. The place was disarray - well, more so than usual anyway. Cake batter, flour, and sugar littered the countertop. The stove was covered in spots where things had dripped or boiled over. Even the light flickered ominously as if to say the room itself was running on fumes. "I really don't have any time to waste."

Qrow held up a finger. "It's not a waste if you're doing something productive."

"How is going and chatting over dinner productive?"

"It'll get your mind off things; help clear your head a little before you explode."

Ruby closed her eyes and began massaging her temples. She really couldn't afford to take a break like that. But maybe he was right. Here, she was only doing more harm than good in her frantic state. Perhaps going with him would help to calm her down.

She felt his hand come to rest on her shoulder. Qrow looked at her with stoic and caring eyes. "C'mon, have I ever steered you wrong?"

She snorted. "Yes, actually. Quite a few times."


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby settled into the leather seat of the booth she and Qrow had been assigned. True to his word, he had brought them to a quaint little burger joint in town. Before the bakery, it had been a favorite haunt of hers; she and Yang would hang out after school and pretend to do homework while draining the place of its milkshake stock. Nowadays, they both had their responsibilities to mind and thus couldn't spend as much time goofing off like that.

It was that very thought that caused Ruby to flinch.

_Oh gods,_ her eyes widened, _I'm starting to think like an adult!_

Horrifying as that concept was, it wasn't nearly as bad as the lecherous way Qrow's eyes followed their waitress as she walked away to fetch their drinks. It made her want to vomit just thinking about it, but he really needed a girlfriend. If only to curb some of his more sinful habits.

She had to fight the urge to gag as he turned his attention back to her. "So," she said as he placed his palms down on the table. "What're we gonna talk about?"

"Whatever, kiddo," he shrugged. "I just figured from the way you looked that you needed a break and someone to vent to."

Ruby's raised brow conveyed just how convincing of a lie that was. "Yes. It's a Tuesday night, I'm suddenly swamped with an order for a party that's happening _tomorrow_ , and a break is exactly what I need."

"See? That's what I'm talking about." Qrow stuck his finger towards her. "You're not usually this stressed about work. Something's eating you."

"Well, maybe if Yang had given me some warning, I wouldn't have to get this stressed." She folded her arms in a pout. "I mean, I'm happy she's here and all, but a little head's up would've been appreciated." Seriously, could Yang and Weiss not have _called_ a few more days in advance? Ruby knew for a fact that they both had scrolls. Even if they were in positions where they couldn't talk, a quick message would have been just fine.

"They just pop in, after that weird guy leaves, drop Blake's birthday bomb on me, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up a sec," Qrow waved a hand, silencing her. "What weird guy?"

Ruby flinched. "Ah, well, there was some big guy that came into the store earlier' right before Yang and Weiss got there. He acted kinda strange - didn't say much, just bought some bread and left." On any other day, that sort of thing wouldn't have fazed her. She got quiet customers all the time. Frankly, they were something of a blessing, a reprieve from the torrents of squealing kids she customarily hosted. "Yang said he was probably a huntsman, said that you were all a little weird because of your work. I believed her."

Qrow's face went deathly cold for a split second. He tapped his chin for a moment like he was pondering something. Then, with a shrug, he said, "Meh, she's probably right. Not all huntsmen can maintain a cool and charming personality like yours truly." Qrow winked at a passing server, prompting little more than an eye-roll in response from her. "Some of us pretty much become brooding edgelords. Case and point, mister creepy bread guy. But, that being said, it's good you've got enough sense to be wary of strangers. Even if it was most likely nothing."

Just like Yang had said. Ruby couldn't help the small sigh of relief that escaped her. Maybe she really was freaking out over nothing. Everyone around her seemed to think so. And really though, what kind of person would have the guts to try and attack her in the middle of the day, with two fully trained huntresses in the room? Why would he even be after her, anyway? It wasn't like she was all that interesting, and she wasn't the heir to some trillion-lien company. She was just plain old, normal-kneed, Ruby Rose.

She chuckled at that thought. Who would ever want to target _her_ of all people?

/-/

Someone was targeting Ruby.

Yang scowled at the thought. She'd always wanted to keep her little sister out of this life. She was too innocent, too good to be forced into a secret war that was older than recorded history.

So, Yang had kept her life as a huntress hidden from the girl. She never lied to her. No huge lies, anyway. Really, all she did was give the bare minimum when it came to details and let her fill in the blanks on her own. Why had it been so long since she had called home? Her team was out where they couldn't make any scroll calls. Nevermind the fact that they could, they just weren't allowed to, because they would be tracked. What were they doing out there? An increase in Grimm activity - _precise_ Grimm activity, that was.

Salem was making a play. What that was, none of them knew. The only sure thing was that people were disappearing in the middle of the night. Entire towns were being razed to the ground by the Grimm. Huntsmen were being killed in droves all across Remnant. There had even been sightings - more rumors than actual proof - of the witch's personal agents in the cities.

The most recent, and the most troubling to Yang, came from Patch. Tyrian Callows, world infamous serial killer and maniac, had been seen on the ferry from Vale to the small island. Even the mention of his name was enough to send shivers up her spine. A few months back, on a mission in Forever Fall, team YWBR had run across him. Well, it was really more of a case of him jumping out of the bushes and attacking them, singing about how he would please his goddess with their deaths. The fight that ensued had been one of the hardest any of them had ever faced, and Yang had very nearly lost her life to that poisoned tail of his.

When Ozpin told them of him possibly being on Patch, Yang had dropped everything to go. If he was there, he had to have a reason. Insane, Callows may have been, random he was not.

As such, she Weiss were stuck watching Ruby's building from a cheap apartment across the street. Her team taking a vacation was yet another of Yang's little white lies to her sis. There wasn't really any other reason she could have given to make her visit not seem suspicious. _"Oh yeah, Ruby, by the way, you may or may not be being hunted by a crazed serial murderer who's working for an immortal Grimm monster lady."_ Sure, that would go over perfectly.

Yang glanced over to Weiss, who was busying herself by fiddling with Myrtenaster's dust chambers. "Well, this sucks ass," she said with a huff.

The Ice Queen didn't even look up, but Yang could still feel her eyes rolling in her skull. "Must you be so crude? And could you be more specific?"

Yang flopped around on the couch so that she was laying down, with her feet dangling over the back. She held her arms up. " _This_ ," she said. "The waiting. The watching. The not knowing jack-shit about what's gonna happen."

Still engrossed in her work, Weiss' response and her tone were rather monotonous. "You'd rather we left Ruby to her fate? Even with Callows on the loose?"

Yang scowled. "No, you know that's not what I mean." She folded her arms across her chest. With that maniac skulking around town, there was no way she was leaving Ruby on her own. Hence, why Qrow was with her now. "It's just, normally, _something_ would have happened by now. You know?" When her teammate didn't answer, she continued.

"We know Tyrian's in town. So, why hasn't he moved yet? He doesn't strike me as the stalky type. More of a jump you and cut you to a bloody pulp kind of guy."

Weiss sighed as she put down her tools and leaned back in her chair. "Well, think of who he works for. Salem is nothing, if not subtle, according to Ozpin. Perhaps he's waiting for Ruby to be at her most vulnerable?"

"That's just it," Yang groused, rolling over onto her stomach. "Ruby is never _not_ vulnerable. She can hardly handle smooshing a spider with a tissue. Other than the little bit of aura training dad and me gave her, she's completely helpless."

Growing tired of the couch, the blond brawler stood and stalked over to the window for the millionth time that evening. The streets were dark and quiet. Patch wasn't a lively town even in the middle of the day, let alone after the sunset. Yang looked over at the front of Ruby's bakery; all was calm. Up above, in her tiny apartment, all was still and dark.

"And that raises the obvious question," she said. The question that had been burning in her mind for a week now. "Why? Why target Ruby?"

Weiss shook her head and stepped over to join her at the window. "I really don't know. Tyrian knows you work for Ozpin. Maybe he's doing all this to draw us out."

_I mean, it makes sense_ , Yang thought to herself. Killing team YWBR would undoubtedly be a blow to the old man's whole operation. Take them out, and he'd need to find some other group of Beacon students to rope into his conspiracy. In fact, Ruby was the perfect target if Salem wanted to hurt Ozpin. Not only was she Yang's sister, but she was also Qrow's niece. And Taiyang was once one of the wizard's agents too.

Yang's fists clenched. Well, in that case, they'd have to be even more ready. Ruby was too important to let die.

Her scroll pinged. A short message from Qrow stated that he and Ruby were on their way back. Good. That was phase one of the _Operation Protect Little Sister from Evil Grimm Bitch and Her Minions._ Step two would be drunkle Qrow getting Ruby to let him crash on her couch for the night. As much as she hated it, Yang knew that were something to happen, she and Weiss simply weren't close enough to help. They were the surveillance team, making damn sure everything happening outside the building was on the up and up.

"Qrow's en route," Yang told Weiss, who nodded back dutifully. "Blake says she should be here tomorrow, so we'll have one more set of night-vision equipped, kitty-kat eyes to put on watch. Hopefully, nothing happens before then."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "The saddest part about that is that you probably just jinxed us."

"Oh, come on, princess." Yang dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "If the weirdo hasn't made his move yet, he probably won't toni-" She was cut off by a sudden knock on the door. It was late. Too late for anyone to be coming to say hello…

Yang deployed Ember Celica and steadied herself in a preemptive stance. Weiss did the same, spinning Myrtenaster's cylinder and pointing the tip toward the entrance to the little apartment.

The door exploded two seconds later.

Yang groaned. "Me and my big, fucking mouth."


End file.
